We Are The Ones We Need is an emotional and brutally honest account of the personal hell experienced by Sihle Bolani at one of the country’s major banks. Racism, sexism, toxic management and corporate indifference came together in this case to create the perfect storm of bullying and harassment. Studies have shown that bullies deliberately …

This book was clearly written out of frustration with the career advice offered to women in books such as Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois Frankel. It’s great advice but the majority of the standard-issue career tips they offer don’t always address the experience of a …

They say dynamite comes in small packages. It’s a cliché, but I couldn’t help thinking how true it is in this case. This unassuming little book with a matt yellow cover is a mere 200 pages yet it contains unparalleled wisdom that applies to large corporate entities or any relationship between two people. I …

“He’s not your man, he’s OUR man.” That is the essence of the story in these two books. Whether she’s called the mistress, the side-chick or side dish, the other woman has many names in every language. This story is told from her perspective. An innocent, nerdy engineering student named Lastborn Fierce Nkomo from Zimbabwe …

The novel is set in Zimbabwe in the 2000s. The economy is ruined and the populace are scrambling for what few opportunities are left for survival in the city. Smart office buildings in the city now house a motley assortment of small businesses providing different goods and services, whatever is in demand at the time. …

Shifting Sands is a pleasure to read. It is well-written. The pace is good even with all the drama. Ike brings his characters to life, particularly Mama Adaku, the matriarch who is so imposing. The storytakes one from the bustle of the urban jungle that is Johannesburg, to the relative peace of the village in …

A few years there was a movie called the Golden Compass, based on the work of Philip Pullman, about a young girl called Lyra who owned and could read a strange instrument. She was the subject of a prophecy like Harry Potter and this made her a person of great interest to the religious, occult …

‘It was the best of times and the worst of times.’ This is the opening line of a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. For the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe the Gukurahundi massacres were the worst of times. The sheer violence, brutal rape and dehumanizing murders perpetrated by a black government against defenseless black …

My favourite poem Nikki Giovanni called Hot Chocolate starts with the words: ‘This is not a Poem…’ So to speak of the Abantu Book Festival one would say: This is not a Book Fair It’s an experience. Not just a meeting place For writers and buyers But an intersection Of ideas, values and perspectives Of …